Part 8

Risa drove robotically through the streets of her neighborhood. Her knowledge of these roadways were etched into her subconscious from years of riding in her parents' cars to and from every possible school activity. On her bike she had crisscrossed the walk ways and yards of every home. She had walked down each street during Halloween making sure to raid each house for its' sweet candy loot. She could probably have driven home with her eyes closed.

The small sign resting near the front of the neighborhood read: The Elysian Estates. Such a fancy name for a middle to low income residential area she thought. Her neighborhood was very nondescript. It could have been in any Midwestern town, in any Midwestern state. Most of the homes were built from the same five blueprint models that the residential developer constructed. Though many of the house's were painted different colors, you would typically see your home's identical twin just a few doors down or one street over.

But she never complained, this place had been the only home she'd known and the neighborhood during her youth was place of such vitality and excitement.

But lately that had all changed. After Caleb's disappearance, parents were a little less likely to let their children run around with impunity. Curfew's were set a little earlier and fewer children would be seen roaming aimlessly about.

The name Elysian Estates seemed much more fitting now. Risa had learned that according to ancient Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields were where the ghosts of mortal kings and heroes would spend eternity after a worthy death. She wished she had never learned that. At night when a fog rolled in, the streetlamps began to cast strange shadows and specters seemed to lurk in among the dark corners.

As Risa turned onto the cul-de-sac where her home stood she recognized two familiar cars parked out on the street. In its usual spot blocking the mailbox sat a sleek, white, foreign two door sports car. It shined like newly polished silver dinnerware that royalty would use dine with. From the swept back spoiler mounted on the trunk to the mirror-like titanium wheel rims, the car exuded elitism and exclusivity. The windows were even tinted dark to prevent "commoners" from looking in. It was a far cry from her run down pick up truck that had once belonged to their neighbor.

Parked neatly behind the sports car sat a menacing looking black four-door sedan. It stood juxtaposed from the vehicle in front of it. It looked like a large bear cornering a swift-footed deer. Its windows were an even darker shade than those of the sports car. A person walking on the sidewalk beside the car wouldn't even be able to tell if someone was inside.

"Wardell is here again, I wonder if there's any new information." Risa said to herself quietly.

She quickly bypassed the two cars and pulled sharply into the driveway. She was always sure to park as far left as possible, giving her mother room to maneuver when she pulled out of the garage. While her mother may have been adept at commanding battle tanks, she was still yet to master backing out of the driveway.

Throwing the truck into park, Risa grabbed the backpack that she had stuffed behind the passenger's seat. She normally left it sitting on top of the seat but when she had parked downtown her mother's words reverberated in her head. "If you're parking somewhere in public, always hide anything of value. You want to minimize any temptations." This prompted her to stuff the backpack behind the seat. It had taken her 20 minutes to drive across town and she had forgotten to retrieve the backpack earlier. She silently hoped she hadn't crushed anything.

She stepped quickly across the driveway and mounted the three large concrete stairs that lead to the front door. The main door was already open to allow a breeze to pass through the screen door and cool down the house. To save money, her mother was loathe to turn on the air conditioner. Only in times of extremely high temperatures would the air conditioner ever be put to use. There was even one summer where Risa had tried to fake a heat stroke to try and spur her mother to activate the air conditioner. Unfortunately, her mother was well aware of the symptoms of heat stroke from her days in the Army and Risa's ploy failed. This taught Risa that extensive research is required before any attempts at deceit is made.

Risa turned the knob and entered her house. The front door lead to a small entry corridor. The floors were covered in an old cream colored linoleum. Her mother had been talking about replacing the flooring and carpeting throughout the house for many years, but neither the time, or more aptly, the funding, was readily available. To the left were stairs that rose to the upstairs bedrooms. To the right was a small sitting area that lead to a small formal dinning room. Through the door ahead of her she could hear her mother's voice.

She pushed ahead through a swinging gate door into the family room. Since the TV was in this room, most of the family activities had taken place here. On the couch along the back wall sat her mother. To Risa's left, her mother's right, Detective Thadeus Wardell sat on an recliner facing her mother. Wardell stood up when Risa entered the room.

"Oh Risa, there you are. I just called you about five minutes ago" her mother said. Risa had forgotten that she had left her phone in her bag and hadn't checked it yet. She really hoped she hadn't accidentally crushed it. Her mother continued.

"Charlene is here. She's up in your room."

"Hello Sonrisa," Wardell added before straightening his dark suit and sitting back down. Wardell folded his hands across his lap and looked down at the coffee table in front of him. Risa hated having to ask each time, but they never seemed to just say anything.

"So, is there anything new?" Risa said quickly. She regretted sounding irritated again. 'I really needed to fix that', she thought.

If there was any irritation in Risa's voice, her mother did not seem to take notice, or if she had taken notice, she did not seem to care.

"Unfortunately no. Detective Wardell was just finishing up his update for me". Risa did notice a sadness in her mother's voice. It didn't carry the same conviction it normally held. Risa had to fight down a pulse of pity that surged in her. She looked at her mother now. There were definitely more gray strands lost in her sandy colored hair. Her mother had always been pretty, quite the talk of the town some of the older folks would say.

It was a big shock when Leslie Pope announced that she was joining the Army. It just wasn't done too often back then. While there were already many women serving in the ranks, few were probably former county beauty pageant winners. Leslie Pope had decided at a young age and she wanted to see more of the world. She was realistic and knew that while she was savvy, her scholastic achievements wouldn't take her very far. She also vowed never to let her looks determine how far she would go. Most importantly, no man would limit her options.

"Reeces pieces are you home?" A loud high pitched voice came calling from upstairs.

Risa gave a small abashed smile which her mother returned. 'Even her smiles look sad', Risa noted. Risa hefted her backpack to rest more comfortable on her shoulder and turned to leave. She pushed passed the swinging door and moved towards the stairs. As she planted her right foot on the first step she overheard her mother's words that nearly caused her to topple over.

"Is there a time when I should give up hope?"